Eastern Door Volume 8 Number 14

Volume 8 Number 14

April 30, 1999

Opposition Petitions Against Agreements
By: Kenneth Deer

After a number of public meetings, a group has coordinated a petition and letters to protest the recent Kahnawake/Quebec agreements. A petition signed by 58 businesses was presented to the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake as well as at least 470 individually signed letters.

The documents were presented by John Stacey Jr. and Stuart Myiow Jr. and accepted by Council Chief Leonard Bordeau at 11:00 a.m. Thursday morning.

Myiow and Stacey then left for Ottawa to deliver copies of the same material to the offices of the Minister of Indian Affairs, Jane Stewart, as well as the opposition Reform and Bloc Quebecois parties.

Similarly, Frank Melvin Jacobs and John Goodleaf hand delivered copies to the offices of Deputy Premier Bernard Landry and Native Affairs Minister Guy Chevrette in Quebec City.

The petition from the businesses states, "We the undersigned, business entrepreneurs within the Kahnawake Territory, object to the recent signing of the Quebec/Kahnawake 10 point agreements of March 30, 1999. We demand the agreements be declared null and void until proper consultation and confirmation by the people are adhered to."

The individual letters, which are addressed to Grand Chief Joe Tokwiro Norton, state that there was no consultation with the people, that the agreements compromise treaty rights, goes against the mandate to return to Traditional government, that the Council has disregarded both the voting sector and traditional sector of the community, and these agreements are inconsistent with the spirit of the people of Kahnawake.

The Mohawk Council later responded with a press release which acknowledged the receipt of the petitions from John Stacey Jr. The MCK state that they have read the petitions and state that the petitions contain incorrect, misguided political information. The MCK said that they will take them into consideration and will address them on the Tuesday, May 4 public meeting.

The petitions and letters came as a result of the last two meetings this week where people with concerns about the agreements gathered to exchange points of view. At least fifty people attended a business peoples meeting at the Batting Cage on Monday. At this meeting, the petitions and letters were handed out to encourage more signatures.

The MCK responded with a press release the next day stating that only three of the ten agreements affect Kahnawake businesses. Responding to accusations that the MCK will set up its own distribution center, the MCK said it has no intentions of being the sole distributor of gas, alcohol or cigarettes in Kahnawake or that it has any intention of charging or collecting taxes on behalf of any government.

These are the very concerns of many of the participants of the meetings. Some read from the agreement where there are provisions made for a central distribution center. The comparison of parity to taxes was widely discussed and the political ramifications of the MCK dealing with the province of Quebec.

Flint Eagle summed up the concerns by stating that every agreement affects business people in one way or another either by impacting their business, their family or themselves as an individual. Many participants repeated the lack of consultation by the MCK in negotiating these agreements.

There certainly seemed to be a difference in interpretation of what the agreements mean. Opponents to the agreements read the agreements and take the words for face value. The MCK, on the other hand, interpret the agreements in the way that they will apply it and not by the strict application of the written text. And this seems to be a major point of divergence between the MCK and the opponents.

According to one source, the MCK intend to apply the agreements in a way that benefits Kahnawake the most. There are particular wordings in the agreements that use the word ‘may’ to describe a certain activity such as a central distribution center but the MCK does not intend to activate that clause. Certain clauses were added to the agreements to alleviate any apprehensions of the Quebec government. Although they are in the agreement it does not mean that the MCK will carry out those options.

Other people in the community who have not been going to the meetings are of mixed opinions. While it is difficult to measure the community reaction to the agreements, it is safe to say that there are some who support the agreements as a positive step and view these as only administrative agreements that are necessary with our neighbours. Some can’t wait for their swipe card. Others can accept most of the agreements but have problems or questions about the others. Some others are dead set against the whole process.

The only clear positions that have been stated so far have been the MCK’s adamant support of the agreements and the opponents opposition to them.

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Spontaneous Anti-Drug Demonstrations: Residents Respond To Drug Issues
By: Greg Horn

Since the drug march held almost two weeks ago, there have been demonstrations held spontaneously throughout the community. These demonstrations have been organized by a core group of women made up of Wilma Lahache, Molly Sky and Selma Delisle.

Last week there were two demonstrations held in front of and behind the home of Allan T. Diabo, a Kahnawake resident who was arrested on drug charges twice last year.

Another one of these protests was held this past Tuesday at Noon in front of the home of Marc "Full Blast" Lahache.

Also as a part of this anti-drug campaign, several signs were posted on the public bulletin at the Kanienkehaka Plaza. One of the signs read in large black writing on an orange background, "Get rid of the drug dealers."

After this sign was posted, several nights later it was torn down. So, Wilma Lahache re-posted it the following day and it was taken ripped off again. On the third time that she put the sign up she stated that she used hundreds of staple to securely fasten it to the wall. The whole process took her and one of her daughters roughly two hours to complete.

The sign is once again torn down.

There was another of these protest held yesterday. This time the demonstration was held in front of John Gary Stacey. There was approximately 10 people at this demonstration.

Later, the protesters stood in front of the Mohawk Council offices. "We came her to remind them that they said they would take care of the drug dealers in 1989," said Selma Delisle.

According to the protesters, Council Chief Arlene Jacobs came out to meet with the protesters and told them that the MCK is studying the Banishment Law that Akwesasne has drafted. She also said that Kanehsatake is considering to joining Kahnawake and Akwesasne in enacting a banishment law. Jacobs encouraged them to keep reminding the Council of its responsibilities in this area.

The protesters said they will keep reminding them.

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A Chorus Line Shines
By: Greg Horn

The opening night performance of the Kahnawake Shakotiia’takehnhas Community Services sponsored Drama Club’s A Chorus Line was a near sellout.

For those who are unfamiliar with the story line to this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical, here it is. A Chorus Line is a musical about a musical. Specifically, it is a musical that takes place in 1975 at an audition for a new Broadway musical. It shows what the performers go through to get a part in a Broadway show.

The cast of characters includes John Dee Delormier, Tommy Deer, Kariann Jacobs, Brittany Leborgne and Taylor McComber. (Full Photo)

Opening night jitters were apparent when one of the performers forgot some of the words to a song. The actor recovered well and the mistake was almost unnoticeable. After the show this person was in good spirits and was joking about it.

The part of the director was played by Taylor McComber. Throughout most of the play, McComber was behind the audience and out of sight. You only knew he was there when he spoke, his voice echoing through the speakers of the public address system. The audience loved the show. At points they laughed and at others they were shocked by the risqué content.

The show started with the Musical Entertainers as well as the cast of characters auditioning for a part in the musical. The director then made some cuts and it turned out that all of the Musical Entertainers were cut from the show.

Throughout the entire show they sing 12 songs, most of which have dance numbers.

There are only two performances left in this production, tonight and tomorrow. The cost of the show this evening is $6 for adults and $4 for students 12-17 years old. The show tomorrow night is a special benefit performance for the new auditorium that K-STARS wishes to build and all tickets are $20 each. Show time is 7:30 p.m.

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Kahnawake To Set Up Ombudsman Office
By: Greg Horn

The Executive Directors Committee of Kahnawake will be establishing an Ombudsman’s office here in Kahnawake as part of the ongoing development in the Quality Improvement Accountability Framework process. The purpose of this office is to look into contentious issues between community organizations, workers and users and to make recommendations for settlement. The framework is an ongoing process intended to improve services to community members.

The Executive Directors Committee is made up of the executive directors of various organizations within Kahnawake, which include the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, Kahnawake Shakotiia’takehnhas Community Services, the Kanien’kehaka Raotitiohkwa Cultural Center, the Kahnawake Youth Center, the Kahnawake Education Center, the Kahnawake Fire Brigade, Step By Step, Mohawk Community Daycare, and the Kateri Memorial Hospital Center.

"The establishment of the Ombudsman’s office came about as a result of the effort to make sure that there would be accountability of all services to the people," stated Kanatakta, the Executive Director of the Kanien’kehaka Raotitiohkwa Cultural Center. "During the Accountability Framework process we recognized that all organizations had grievance procedures. This was an opportunity to set up a neutral office."

"The ombudsman does not have any power of enforcement," continued Kanatakta. "It only makes recommendations. This is a way for people to have their grievances heard."

After hearing a grievance, the Ombudsman will make a judgment and the recommendations would be given to the parties involved for their consideration. There is no legal power within the Office of the Ombudsman. It is something like a human rights tribunal. The Ombudsman can make recommendations and these put moral pressure on the guilty party.

Recently there has been a call from many Native women’s groups throughout Canada who have been lobbying the Federal Government to establish Ombudsmen offices in Native communities. The reason: to combat the corruption that is present in many communities.

There are Native communities across Canada that are in such dire circumstances that the Council Offices are being run by third parties. Communities such as the Stoney Reserve in Alberta reported a deficit last year of $5.6 million, while they had revenues of $50 million. It is not clear how can the administration of the Stoney Reserve run up that kind of deficit?

In Manitoba, the First Nations Accountability Coalition would like the Federal government to establish a federally appointed Ombudsman for each Native community.

Stoney Reseve is an example of the worst case scenario. Kahnawake is not close to being in this type of situation. So why is an Ombudsman office being established here?

The purpose of this office, according to Kanatakta, is to encourage organizations to deal with issues that affect them. If they do not deal with these issues, then someone else will have the responsibility to deal with them.

It is also being set up for the community. If anyone in the community has a grievance with one of the organizations that are establishing the Ombudsman, they know that they can have their concerns heard.

Both parties involved must agree to the process before the Ombudsman agrees to hear a case. The ombudsman also must be assured that the parties have tried to settle their differences using existing organizational procedures.

The establishment of the Ombudsman’s Office here in Kahnawake would need the approval of the Board of Directors of each of the organizations that make up the Executive Directors Committee for ratification. Once these organizations approve the document, it will be sent to the Mohawk Council for final approval.

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Junior B Mohawks Come Up Short Against Nepean
Norton & Kane Rack Up Point Total
Nepean Knights 12 - Kahnawake Mohawks 9
By: Al Briand

Kahnawake traveled to Nepean Saturday, April 24 in quest of a win to start the season off on a positive note.

They had all the pieces to a great puzzle. They had speed, size, depth, pride and heart.

The two things in question were the goaltending situation for the Mohawks and containing Knight forward Jeff Zwicky from scoring.

Blue Cloud Lahache got the start for Kahnawake, with backup Ni McComber on the bench. Lahache was playing in his first ever regular season game and he felt nervous at the start, but as the first few shots came in, he became more comfortable with the flow of the play.

Kahnawake started the game off the right way just 12 seconds in on a goal by Chad Norton on a feed from Sose Kirby.

Nepean would then tie the game 80 seconds later, with Jeff Zwicky getting his first of seven on the night.

With Knights forward Ryan Armstrong serving two minutes for slashing, the Mohawk power–play took over. Louis Alfred counted for Kahnawake, with Chad Norton and Curtis Diabo grabbing assists.

It was 2–1 Kahnawake before Nepean rattled off four straight goals, two of them coming on the power–play, with two more goals coming from Zwicky. Bryden Denyes and Brad Callaghan scored the other two.

The Mohawks, who were down a man for four minutes with Jarrod Splicer in the box, scored shorthanded with Jonathan Kane getting his first of three on the night. Chad Norton would assist on the play.

Nepean’s Jason Lacroix would score again on the Splicer penalty to make the score 6–3 for the Knights after one.

Down by three after one, made Mohawk coach Spencer Stacey more aware that offense would be the key to win the period, let alone the game. So the offense took over in the second period, outscoring the home team 5–3, and only being down 9–8 after two periods.

Sose Kirby would score his two second period goals both on the power-play. His first came on a Jeff Zwicky double minor, with the second as a result of a Ryan Cousineau infraction. Jonathan Kane would add two more and Eugene Cross helped out with one of his own.

The new blood to the team would add to the scoreboard in the second, with Gregory Diabo picking up his first point, and netminder Blue Cloud Lahache putting on a show, with an open-legged split save nearing the end of the period. Nepean scored three goals in the period, with two coming on the power–play by Zwicky and Denyes. Zwicky would score an even strength marker.

The Mohawks would need another quick start out of the blocks in the third period, in order to keep it close.

But it was Nepean that got on the board first with two goals coming in a 2:30 span. Andre Bois would put one in, with Zwicky getting yet another one.

Eugene Cross would score his second of the game on a pass by Winston Goodleaf, but that’s all the offense the Mohawks would materialize in the third. Nepean would add one more by Zwicky, thus making the final 12–9 Knights.

Mohawk forward Angus Horne commented that "There were a lot of big boys on their team."

Apart from the quickness and size of the Mohawks, coach Spencer Stacey said that there will be more changes to this line–up.

"This is by far not the finished product. Even though we showed inexperience in certain areas, we did outplay Nepean. It’s just that we had a couple of breakdowns in the beginning, and it came back to haunt us. We had a lot of untimely penalties, with Nepean getting five of their 12 goals coming on the power–play, but as the year goes on, we’ll get better," stated Stacey.

A strange event took place during the game, when the Nepean fans started chanting ‘Chad, Chad, Chad’. They were referring to Mohawk forward Chad ‘Spinner’ Norton, who would get under the skin of the Knights on numerous occasions. Norton would get player of the game for his six-point performance. Jonathan Kane added five points of his own.

The Mohawks play their home opener Saturday, May 1 at the Kahnawake Sports Complex against the Gloucester Griffins. Game time is 8:00 p.m. and will also be broadcast live on K103 Kahnawake.

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Editorial

Parity
By: Kenneth Deer, The Eastern Door

The issue of parity, which is part of the Kahnawake/Quebec agreements signed last month, raises some serious issues regarding our position on self-determination and taxation.

Parity has been raised before by Quebec in the late 1980s and more recently in New York State where Governor Pataki wanted to negotiate price parity on cigarettes and gasoline in Indigenous communities there. Both governments wanted their own tobacco retailers to be competitive with those selling cigarettes in our territories. They complained that our sales were undercutting their entrepreneurs and that we had an unfair advantage over them. Pataki withdrew his support after people demonstrated publicly against the agreements signed between New York and the Confederacy.

Now Quebec has an agreement with Kahnawake in some ways similar to New York’s proposal. Governments have always wanted to control out trade. The Jay Treaty, which many people think gave us border rights, actually reduced our access to our homeland. True, it recognized that we have free passage between the two countries but it also restricted us from carrying ‘large bundles’ meaning that we could not carry our furs into the United States or vice versa to trade in Montreal or Albany for the best price. They wanted furs caught in Canada to be sold in Montreal and not in Albany. It was a restriction on our sovereignty.

Today, Quebec wants to restrict our trade in tobacco, alcohol and petroleum products. Quebec negotiated an agreement with the Mohawk Council to increase the sale prices of these goods so that they are on par or in parity with those applied off-reserve.

There is some merit to the argument that we must have peace with our neighbours. A fair trade agreement, similar to the North American Free Trade Agreement, needs to be made between ourselves and Quebec. If peace is not made, then Revenue Quebec will come down hard on outside businesses who sell us goods tax-free without being delivered to the Reserve, in violation of the Indian Act. This could seriously affect suppliers, restaurants and stores that honor our band card.

The problem exsists because the governments only see our tax rights as they are articulated in the Indian Act. In their view our right stems from a piece of legislation that obligates them by law to remove taxes from goods delivered on Reserve. But we have a different view on our tax status.

As a sovereign People, we are not subject to taxation from a foreign government. This is a fundamental principle that all sovereign peoples agree upon. How we exercise that right is what is at stake here.

As a right of self-determination, we have the right to tax our own people, should we wish to do so. We do not need the permission of the Canadian or Quebec government to do so. It is part of natural law that we have the right to raise revenue to support of own government, should we wish to so.

However, because our homelands are occupied extensively by non-Mohawk people, we have not had the economy to support our own government. We have become dependent on funding from other governments to run essential institutions in our communities.

This dependency on the Indian Act has created the impression that we have a right to tax-free goods. But this is not exactly true. We have a right to negotiate a tax-exempt status because of our right to self-determination and because our lands are occupied against our will. These two elements are the basis of our argument that, as part of the reparations due to us for the loss of our lands and natural resources, the governments must recognize that we should not be taxed.

When governments argue that we have an unfair tax advantage over their constituents, we don’t believe that this advantage is unfair at all. We are just exercising our right of self-determination. If non-Mohawks want to shop and buy in Kahnawake, we are not making them Mohawks because they get a better price. Nor are we abusing our rights, but we are exercising them.

Now, if Canada and Quebec wanted to set up a tariff wall around Kahnawake and charge an extra tariff on all goods coming into Kahnawake, they would perfectly be in their right to do so. But if they did that, then they would recognize our status as a self-determining people and the separate nature of our territory.

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake is not the Mohawk Nation and does not carry the responsibility for the whole Nation but it should rethink its position on parity.

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Comics

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